Child Survival - A Driving Force For MI 's Programming

Every year close to eleven million children in developing nations die needlessly from preventable illnesses. More than half of these deaths are associated with malnutrition. Children from these regions who are deficient in vitamin A or zinc are about 20% more likely to die from conditions such as measles and diarrhea. The highest proportions of deaths attributable to vitamin and mineral deficiency are in sub-Saharan Africa , south Asia and some regions of Latin America.

In sub-Saharan Africa alone, more than 200 million people are malnourished, as food security remains a significant concern. Conflict, HIV/AIDS, debt and poor and inequitable access to health services all contribute to the high levels of disease and malnutrition. Together, they work to compound regional and national efforts to control malnutrition and improve child survival.

Since 1998, MI has put its largest effort to ensure that as many vulnerable children as possible are better protected against disease with two annual doses of high strength vitamin A supplements.

Providing two doses - six months apart - of vitamin A supplements to children has long been recognized as a highly cost-effective way of reducing child deaths by over 20% in countries where children are most at risk.

This year MI supported the twice-yearly distribution of vitamin A supplements to children aged between 6 months and five years in countries with high rates of child mortality and vitamin A deficiency in two ways:

• Global supply of vitamin A supplements that were then distributed through the good offices of UNICEF and,
• Technical support to improve delivery in some of the countries that are home to the largest numbers of children at risk.

The outcomes described below are the result of teamwork by many actors as well as MI , particularly:

• National governments, and the primary health care presonnel and community volunteers across many countries
• UNICEF and other agencies involved in reducing malnutrition and improving child survival - particularly the World Health Organization, Helen Keller International, and the United States Agency for International Development.
• The Program Against Hunger Malnutrition and Disease of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Global Advocacy

We continued to make use of the VMD Global Progress Report and the associated tools to build and sustain momentum at global and national levels for action against vitamin and mineral deficiency. These advocacy tools are becoming standard tools for raising the awareness of senior personnel in government, industry, media and professional associations of the scope of the VMD problem and the actions required to control it. The information, data and concepts are increasingly being used as inputs to national and sector-specific strategies and programs. Most recently, we used VMD Report data, along with data from the Copenhagen Consensus and from additional analyses undertaken by MI Africa and Ottawa to successfully position key points on micronutrients within the recently released Commission for Africa Report. At the national level, the Damage Assessment Reports are being used to support the development of national strategies: Pakistan 's National Plan of Action for the Control of Micronutrient Malnutrition being a case in point.

A significant development has been the opportunity to work closely with two sections within the NEPAD Secretariat (Agriculture and Health) in developing and promoting a NEPAD / African Union nutrition and micronutrient strategy. This strategy will influence both Africa-wide policy positions and funding flows from major donors over the coming months.